Bag closure



Sept. 8, 1959 I E. G; ANDERAU 2,903,287

BAG CLOSURE Filed Sept. 20, 1956 INVENTOR EMIL G. ANDERAU BY ATTORNEYS United States Patent 2,903,287 'BAG CLOSURE Emil G. Anderau, Yonkers, N.Y., assignor t Stofiel Seals Corporation, Tuckahoe, N .Y.

Application September 20, 1956, Serial No. 610,989

7 Claims. (Cl. 292325) This invention relates to the handling and protection of objects of various kinds including valuables, letters and other pieces of mail, and more particularly to a seal of the character applied around the mouth of a mail bag to prevent access to the contents of the bag until the seal has been removed.

Progress in transporting mail, including by aircraft, has made it desirable to have mail bags of lightweight and of great durability. The trend of the times also has made it desirable to have means for sealing the mouth of the bag which is simple and inexpensive, requires minimum effort and no special tools or equipmentin applying and removing, and the removal of which will not cause injury to the bag or to the operator.

It is an object of the invention to provide a bag closure of simple and inexpensive construction, which can be readily applied and access to the interior of the bag prevented until the closure is removed, as Well as a closure suitable for use with bags of lighter and more durable material and which closure may be readily broken and removed without causing injury to the bag or to the person applying or removing the closure.

Another object of the invention is to provide a bag closure or seal by which the closing and sealing of the bag is facilitated on account of the mechanical advantage provided by the particular structure of the closure, thus permitting the mouth of the bag to be easily and tightly constricted or reduced in size until it is entirely closed, and without the danger of part of the bag being caught in the locking mechanism thus impairing the efiiciency and value of the closure and causing injury to the bag itself.

A further object of the invention is to provide a bag closure or seal which not only can be readily applied and tightened about the mouth of a bag, but a seal having a band, which readily can be broken by a mere gripping of a portion of the same between the forefinger and thumb and pulling or applying pressure sulficient to produce separation without the use of tools or implements of any kind, as well as a device which is foolproof and can easily be produced of readily available materials.

Further other objects and advantages will be apparent from the fo-llowing description taken in conjunction with the accompanying 'drawin g:

Fig. 1 is a side elevationillustrating one application of the'invention;

Fig. 2, a perspective of the bag closure being applied;

Fig. 3, an enlarged perspective of the bag closure;

Fig. 4, a section on the line 4--4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5, a planned view of the blank;

Fig. 16, a perspective of a slightly modified form of bag closure; and

Fig. 7, a perspective of the bag closure after it has been broken and is ineffective.

Briefly stated, the present invention comprises a bag closure in the form of a strap or band having a frangible or destructible metal end member with a transverse sub- Patented Sept. 8, 1959 staritially rectangular opening in which the oifset end of the strap is adapted to be inserted from the rear and pulled reversely to tighten the strap about the mouth of a mail bag or other type of bag or object, such strap having complementary interlocking fasteners which are adapted to be engaged one with the other for securing the device in place and for preventing opening of the mouth of the bag about which the strap is applied until such time as the seal is broken or mutilated and incapable of reuse.

With continued reference to the drawing, a bag 10 may be a lightweight high quality durable container, such as that used in the transportation of mail and other valuables, or it may represent any type of bag or container, the entrance or mouth of which is adapted to be closed and sealed. About the mouth of the bag 10 is adapted to be disposed some means for maintaining such month in closed position. By the present invention a strap 11 is provided, to one end of which is attached a 'connector'or end member 12 of metal or other ma- 'terial.

The connector or end member 12 has an end portion 13 adapted to be attached to one end of the strap 11 and with such end portion provided with a lateral extension 14 bent reversely upon itself until it is disposed on the oppositeside of the strap and the strap therefore is faced on both sides with metal. The lateral extension 14 also is provided with an opening 15 and the central portion of the connector 12 is punched through the opening 15 and is split into a series of engaging segrrients 16, the opening 15 and engaging segments 16 forming in effect an eyelet or rivet by which the strap is fastened between the spaced portions of the connector.

Disposed transversely within the body of the connector is a substantially rectangular opening 17 through which the free end of the strap is adapted to be inserted and pulled reversely upon itself to cause the strap to be tightened sufficiently to secure the mouth of the bag in closed position.

In order to fasten the free end of the strap in its adjusted position a pair of complementary fasteners are provided such as, for example, a male fastener 18 adapted to'engage and lock into a female fastener 19, such male and female fasteners being disposed in spaced relation on the outer side of the strap or strand 11.

In applying the strap it will be inserted through the substantially rectangular opening or slot 17 from the inside out and then 'it will be pulled reversely upon itself until the male fastener 18 registers with and is engaged within the female fastener 19.

In this position the parts will befirmly united and cannot be separated or disengaged without breaking either the strap or 'the connector. In order to provide for the release of the mouth of the bag the connector 12 may be provided with a fingerpiece or tab 20 which can be gripped and pulled to cause rupture or breakage. If desired the fingerpiece 20 may be duplicated and a fingerpiece 21 added on the opposite side of the body shown in Fig. 6.

The struckout portions 22 and 23 which form the slot 17 serve to reinforce the edges of the slot and the connector in which the slot is formed. The male and female members 18 and 19 are provided respectively with'expansible segments 18' and a restricted opening forming flange 19' so that when connected they can not be released one from the other.

' It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof and therefore the invention is not limited by that which is illustrated in the drawing and described in the specification, but only as indicated in the accompanying claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A bag closure applicable about the mouth of a bag comprising a strap, a frangible metal end member forming a connector attached to one end of said strap, said frangible metal end member having a first portion on the outer surface of said strap and an integral portion folded around and located on the reverse surface of the strap and provided with an opening, the material of said first portion being forced through said strap and said opening and expanded on the remote side of said integral portion and providing a connection between said frangible metal end member and the end of said strap, said metal end member having a transverse substantially rectangular opening through which the free end of said strap is adapted to be inserted from the inside out and pulled reversely to tighten said strap, and a pair of interlocking fasteners attached to said strap for securing it in fixed tightened position, said metal end member having a tab or extension by which it may be ruptured and the strap removed without the use of tools.

2. A bag closure applicable about the mouth of a bag comprising a strap, a frangible end member forming a connector attached to one end of said strap, said frangible end member having a first portion on the outer surface of said strap and an integral portion folded around and located on the reverse surface of the strap, said integral portion having an opening the material of said first portion being forced through said strap and said opening and expanded on the remote side of said integral portion and providing a connection between said frangible end member and the end of said strap, said end member having a transverse opening through which the free end of said strap is adapted to be inserted and pulled reversely to tighten said strap, and a pair of interlocking fasteners attached to said strap for securing it in fixed tightened position, said end member having a tab or extension by which it may be ruptured and the strap removed without the use of tools.

3. A bag closure for application about the mouth of a bag comprising a strap, a frangible end member attached to one end of said strap and having an extension forming a tab by means of which said end member may be ruptured, said end member having a transverse substantially rectangular opening through which the free end of said strap is adapted to be inserted from the inside outwardly and such free end pulled reversely upon itself to apply leverage and tighten said strap, a pair of interlocking fasteners of a character that when connected they cannot be separated without destroying the same, such fasteners being located on said strap in a manner to hold the same in place about the mouth of the bag.

4. A rupturable bag closing means for the securing of the mouth of a bag in closed condition whereby any entrance to the bag can be observed by the condition of the closing means, said closing means comprising an elongated flexible element of at least sufficient length for encircling the crushed mouth of a bag, said flexible element having a connector thereon secured to the flexible element adjacent an end thereof, said connector having an opening through which an end of the flexible element may be threaded, fastening means on the portion of the flexible element which has been threaded through said opening, cooperating fastening means on the portion of the flexible element between said fastening means and said connector for cooperation with said fastening means for securing said fastening means and said cooperating fastening means together, thereby securely maintaining a bag in closed condition and whereby said fastening means cannot be separated without visibly destroying said fastening means, said connector being rupturable from an edge into the opening therethrough without tools, whereby the connector can be destroyed by tearing from an edge thereof to the opening therein.

5. A rupturable bag closing means for the securing of the mouth of a bag in closed condition whereby any entrance to the bag can be observed by the condition of the closing means, said closing means comprising an elongated flexible element of at least sufiicient length for encircling the crushed mouth of a bag, said flexible element having means thereon adjacent one end of said flexible element providing an opening through which the other end of the flexible element may be threaded, fastening means on the portion of the flexible element which has been threaded through said opening, cooperating fastening means on the portion of the flexible element between said fastening means and said means on the one end of the flexible element for cooperation with said fastening means for securing said fastening means and said cooperating fastening means together, thereby securely maintaining a loop for encompassing a bag mouth and maintaining the bag in closed condition, said fastening means being of a type which cannot be separated without visibly destroying said fastening means, said means adjacent one end of said flexible element being rupturable from an edge into the opening therethrough without the use of tools whereby the bag closing means may be destroyed and the bag opened.

6. An end connector for a strap comprising a plate having an opening therein with a continuous closed periphery, a strap having a portion passing through said opening and folded back on itself with the folded back portion of the strap fixed to the main portion of the strap, means to secure the other end of the strap to the connector, said connector having a tab portion projecting outwardly from the slot and having a limited area of connection to the plate to provide for severing the connector to prevent separation of the folded back portion of the strap from the connector, means to permanently secure one end of the strap to the connector and fastening means operable without tools for sealingly connecting the other end of the strap to the end connector whereby the device cannot be released without destroying the device for reuse.

7. A bag closure for application about the mouth of a bag, comprising a strap, a rupturable connector attached to said strap, said connector having a transverse substantially rectangular opening and a transverse extension adjacent thereto forming a tab by means of which the connector may be ruptured adjacent to the tab and said opening, and a pair of interlocking fasteners of the type that when interengaged cannot be separated without destroying the same, said fasteners being mounted on said strap in spaced relation whereby interengagement thereof may hold the strap in place about the mouth of r the bag.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,155,585 Larson Oct. 5, 1915 1,416,683 Brooks May 23, 1922 1,447,691 Rogers Mar. 6, 1923 1,615,057 Tyden Ian. 18, 1927 2,228,326 Rau Ian. 14, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS V 7 111,187 Great Britain Dec. 6, 1916 467,947 Italy Dec. 28, 1951 1,052,959 France Sept. 30, i: 

